Court game



y 1935- P. HICOUSE 2,006,497

COURT GAME Filed March 19, 1934 IT INVENTOR H I I 9 k Pergfibws r g/Z ATTORNEY Patented July 2, 1935 UNITED STATES z nes? r OFFICE COURT GAME Percy H.'Couse, New York, N. Y. Application March 19, 1934,Serial No. 716,363 10 Claims. (0!. 273-56) The invention relates to games of a type in which balls are actuated by the players to cause them to leave or enter an enclosure, and refers particularly to a structure in which the barriers forming the walls provide polygonal courts, the barriers or walls being flexible or resilient. The object of my invention is to provide game apparatus of said type, suitable for outdoor or indoor playing, and which is not only pleasing and interesting for the contestants, but which also calls for the development of skill on the part of the players.

Of the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a duplex court constructed according to one embodiment of my invention.

Figure 2 is a detail elevation, on line 2-2 of Figure l, on a larger scale.

Figure 3 is a perspective View of one of the court barriers.

Figure 4 represents a. section on line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of one of the arches which provide the gates at the angles of the barriers.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a type of mallet which may be employed.

Figure '7 is a perspective View of a golf club which may be used instead of a mallet.

Figure 8 is a plan View detail, similar. to a portion of Figure 1, on a largerscale, and illustrating a preferred structure of the barriers.

Figure 9 is a perspective View illustrating an elastic rubber strip which may connect two such arches as shown in Figure 5 to provide a barrier.

Figure 10 is an elevation similar to Figure 2, but illustrating a modified structure of the barriers to provide gates or spaces at the angles of the barrier sections.

Figure 11 is a sectional View illustrating another modification of barrier structure.

Similar reference characters indicate the same or similar parts or features in allof the views.

Referring first to Figures 1 to 5 inclusive, the field of play 82 may be a piece of level ground for outdoor playing, or a suitable table'surf'ace for indoor playing, in which latter case it will preferably be covered with cloth or felt.

By means of suitable patterns not necessary to illustrate, two hexagonal courts are provided .on the held; each. of the. side members of the hexagons, hereinafter referred to as the barriers or walls, consisting of a rod l3 (Fig. 4) preferably sheathed by rubber tubing M or othersuitable resilient material, and havinga loop I5 at each end (Figs. 3 and 4) These barriers are not quite long enough to meet each other at the angles of the hexagons. To maintain said barriers in theirdesigned positions, and to provide gates or passageways through which balls may pass, the ends of the barrier rods are connected by metal rod arches it the legs of which pass through the loops i5 of said rods and are driven into the ground or, when a table furnishes the field, may fit sockets secured to the table. The legs of the arches may be slightly roughened so that, by pinching the loops 5% tightly to the legs of the arches, the barriers will be maintained at the proper height above the field l2. Such height may vary according to thesize of theballs used, and should be such as to maintain the barriers slightly above'the center of the balls. However, if the leg portions of the arches are sheathed with rubber tubing, as is desirable, there is less need for roughening the metal.

In the layout illustrated in Figure 1, there are two hexagonal courts so arranged that a single barrier crossing the line of proximity of the two courts serves as one of the sides of each of the two hexagons, the result being that there are eleven barriers instead of the twelve that would existif the two hex'agons were s'eparated'from each other. For the sake of brevity of description, I refer to the single crossing barrier at the mid-length of the duplexcourt, as the partition barrier. It differs slightly from the other, ten barriers in that it comprises two short members M connected by an arch I 6 so as to provide a gate or passageway for balls from one court to the other.

The balls ll are illustr atedin Figure 1 as in two sets or groups, one group in each court. Preferably all of the balls of one set are of one color, as red, and all of the balls of, the other set are of another color, as yellow. This is to enable the players to distinguish their own balls.

To drive the balls, the players may use mallets such as illustrated in Figure 6, or a golf club or putter such as illustrated in Figure 7.

Among the many modifications which may be made, without departing from my invention, are the following:-

Instead of employing rubber sheathed rods or wires as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, for the barrier strips, I may connect the arches I 6 by rubber bands as illustrated at it in Figure 8; or, as illustrated in Figure 9, each barrier may consist of a single rubber strip i9 having holes 20 either one of which may be engaged with a leg of an arch member. This last mentioned structure provides for easy adjustment of the tension of the strip I9, to vary its resilience, by causing an arch leg to be engaged with a hole 20 nearer to or farther from the end of the strip.

The employment of rubber bands such as described in connection with Figure 3 is preferred for several reasons, especially economy and ease of replacement. Rubber bands are of low cost and are easily procurable in quantities which are uniform in length and resilience. Therefore, if a band breaks in use, a new one which is of the same length and elasticity may be quickly substituted therefor, by temporarily removing from the field or ball-rolling surface !2 the two requisite stakes which provide the legs of the arches l6 and slipping the ends of the fresh band I8 over said stakes, and replacing the latter in their positions. The proper height for said band, and in fact for all of the bands, to accord with the size of the balls used, is easily effected and maintained, since the bands can be slipped up or down on the stakes or legs of the arches, and the natural resistance of rubber to slip serves to maintain the bands at the proper height above the plane of the ball-rolling surface or field of play. Said height is substantially equal to, or but slightly more than, one-half the diameter of the balls. And, of course, if balls of other sizes are to be used, the rubber bands can be readily slipped up or down, and will remain there. The natural friction of the rubber with the material of the stakes will sufficiently prevent slipping from the vertical positions desired for them.

Another modified barrier structure is illustrated in Figure 10. In such modified structure, each straight side of the polygon consists of a wire or rod l3 having its ends bent to be engaged with the field l2, and having rubber sheathing 14'. With this structure, no arch members I6 are required, as the said straight sides of the polygon will then be installed in or on the field l2 spaced apart a suflicient distance to permit balls to pass between them, the spaces being, of course, located at what would be the angles of a complete polygon.

Figure 11 is a cross section of another barrier structure consisting of a wood or metal strip 2| suitably secured to the field l2 and having rubber strip inserts 22 along both sides. When this form is employed, no arch members It are required, as each of the sides of the polygon will consist of a strip 2| having rubber strips 22, and mounted apart from each other to leave spaces for balls IT to pass at the angles of the polygon. The reason for providing the resilient strips along both sides of the strips 2| is that, when some of the games for which my invention is adapted are being played, it is possible and even sometimes required, that balls are to be rolled not only outwardly from inside the court, but also attempts are to be made to roll balls into the court from positions on the outside field. In the latter case, a ball failing to pass in between the barriers will rebound from the outer rubber strip 22.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the structure provides a three-court game apparatus because that portion or area of the field which surrounds the two courts A and B constitutes a surface which can be used as a playing court when a ball thereon is to be returnedonto one of the courts A, B. Therefore, since the angularly arranged sides 14 are resilient so as to be yieldable inwardly as well as outwardly, and since there is no obstruction to the free passage of balls in either direction completely through the openings between the side walls and through the diverging openings at the ends of the partition barrier, there are many angularly arranged resilient members for the balls to re-bound or carom from, whether said balls are driven outwardly from one of the courts A, B, or inwardly from the surrounding court.

In View of the fact that my improved game apparatus may be pleasurably used for playing games under widely different rules, it will be suificient to briefly explain but one of the methods of use:

Two sets of balls H, which may vary in number, are lined up in defined positions in the two courts. Assuming that the object of the game is to get all of the balls from court A into the other court B and tothen get them back into court A, and to then get them out onto the field through the six arches l6 at the angles of the court A, and that the players who first clear their home court A or B are the winners. For this'object, the game may be played as follows:

Assuming that a player of court A wins the toss-up for the start, he knocks one of his balls toward court B, trying to get it to roll through the getaway or passage at the middle of the partition. barrier, into court B. If he succeeds, he has another chance to attempt the same with another ball of his set. If he fails, then a player of court B has his chance until he fails and then 7 player of court A tries again.

If a player attempts to impel, and succeeds in driving, a ball from his court into his opponents court, in one stroke, through the two gates which meet at an angle at each end of the partition barrier, he wins the right to have two chances with his next ball. But if at any time his ball rolls out onto the field, he must wait for his next turn to entitle him to attempt to knock that ball back into the court which it went from. In other words, if a players ballLrolls out of his court and fails to pass into the other court, his first act after return of his right to resume play, must be to get that ball back into his own court.

The fact that all of the barriers are resilient adds to the attractiveness of the game because of the uncertainty as to just where a ball will roll on rebounding from a barrier. For instance if a ball which fails to pass from court'A into court B then comes to rest in a position from which it can not then be driven directly into the other court, it may be necessary for the player of that ball, when his turn comes again, to drive said ball toward one of the side barriers, selecting the one from which he thinks that the ball will carom into the other court.

The fact that all of the walls or sides of each court A, B, are at obtuse angles to each other, and that nothing is present to interfere with the balls making direct contact therewith, increases the amount of skill required to cause a ball to pass through a rule-required opening, especially when the ball to be driven is in a position that will require it to travel first toward a wall a d, re-bound or carom therefrom toward the required opening. As shown in Figure 1, the two courts A and B have their side walls at obtuse angles to each other, and the relationship of the two courts is such that the inner boundarie of the two outside areas beyond the ends of the single intermediate barrier or wall are defined by resilient walls which are at obtuse angles to each other. Therefore, if a ball gets on one of said outside areas and is to be returned to one of the courts A or B, it is liable to be in :a position requiring considerable skill by the player to cause it to pass, by one or more drives, through the proper one of the two arches I6 which extend in diverging directions from each end of the intermediate barrier. This structure adds zest to the playing and to attain it, it is essential that there shall be nothing to interfere with the balls making direct contact with the resilient walls while still on the ball-rolling surface I 2.

Widely diiterent rules may be adopted for playing the game or games, but the above is sufficient to explain the utility of my invention.

Of course the courts may be of any size, and they may have polygonal forms other than hexagonal. And there may be any number of players engaged in the contests.

While it is preferable to have a plurality of the courts in juxtaposition as illustrated, I do not limit myself thereto. When area is limited, or if the apparatus is to be used by children, there need be but one court, in which case the object would be to get the balls out of that court onto the field which, as I have stated, may be the surface of a table.

Furthermore, it is to be understood that whether the courts employed are single, or consist of two or more in juxtaposition, the side walls or barriers [4 thereof need not be straight from end to end. For instance, the courts may be in the shape of a five or six-point star, and still be polygonal.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. A game apparatus comprising a playing field and a polygonal court mounted thereon, said court having resilient sides, openings being provided at the angles of the court, the surface of the court being uniformly flat and unobstructed both within and without the sides and openings of the court said openings extending through the resilient sides to allow balls to be driven completely through the walls onto or from the portion of the field which surrounds the walled area.

2. A game apparatus comprising a playing field and a polygonal court mounted thereon, said court having resilient sides at obtuse angles to each other and yieldable both inwardly and outwardly, free openings being provided at the angles of the court, the surface of the court being uniformly flat and unobstructed both within and without the sides and openings of the court, said openings extending through the resilient sides to allow balls to be driven completely through the walls onto or from the portion of the field which surrounds the walled area.

3. A game apparatus comprising a set of balls and a rolling surface therefor, and a polygonal court having a pair of spaced uprights at each angle of the polygon, the sides of the polygon consisting of endless elastic bands the ends of which are frictionally engaged with said uprights at points to maintain the bands in position above the rolling surface at a height midway the diameter of the balls.

4. A game apparatus comprising a polygonal court having a pair of spaced uprights at each angle of the polygon, the sides of the polygon consisting of endless elastic bands the ends of which are engaged with the uprights at points intermediate the height of the latter.

5. A game court having a uniformly fiat ballrolling surface and thesides of the court supported thereby having the form of a polygon, all of the side walls of the polygon being resilient and substantially equal in length and exposed to direct contact of balls therewith, the said court having openings extending through the angles of the side walls to allow balls to be driven completely through the walls onto or from the portion of the rolling surface which surrounds the walled area.

6. A game court having a uniformly flat ballrolling surface and the sides of the court supported thereby having the form of a polygon, all of the sides of thecourt being at obtuse angles to each other, said sides being resilient and exposed to direct contact of balls therewith, the said court having openings extending through the angles of the side walls to allow balls to be driven completely through the walls onto or from the portion of the rolling surface which surrounds the walled area.

'7. A game apparatus comprising a playing field and aduplex court mounted thereon in the form of two hexagons divided by a resilient barrier, the side members of the court being also resilient both inwardly and outwardly, openings being provided at the obtuse angles of the side members and at the ends of said barrier to permit freedom of motion of a ball through either opening onto or from the portion of the field which surrounds the duplex court.

8. A game apparatus comprising a playing field and a duplex court mounted thereon in the form of two hexagons divided by a resilient barrier having an opening at its mid-length, the side members of the court being also resilient inwardly and outwardly, openings'being provided at the obtuse angles of the side members'and at the ends of said barrier to permit freedom of motion 7 of a ball through either opening onto or from the portion of the field'which surrounds the duplex court.

free motion of balls to pass from within a hexagon onto the portion of the field which surrounds the hexagons or from the surrounding field to the area within a hexagon, and an intermediate barrier having an opening to permit balls to pass from one hexagon to the other. v

10. A three-court game apparatus comprising a substantially fiat field and a duplex court thereon in the form of two hexagons, the third court consisting of the field area outside of the hexagons, the walls of the hexagons being yield able both outwardly and inwardly and having free openings extending through them to allow balls to be driven completely through the walls in either an outward or inward direction.

PERCY H. COUSE. 

